


warmth of a brother

by dridri93



Series: Clone-tober 2020 [4]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Literal Sleeping Together, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dridri93/pseuds/dridri93
Summary: A snippet of the life of DB, before he and Domino Squad even have to think about the Citadel course. Sometimes the Kaminoans test their cold tolerance, and they're still small enough to fit two to a pod. Barely.
Relationships: CT-00-2010 | Droidbait & CT-21-0408 | Echo, Droidbait & Echo & Fives & Cutup & Hevy
Series: Clone-tober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948393
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	warmth of a brother

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 of Clonetober, one day late! (Guess who ran out of buffer immediately. It's me.) The prompt this time was _Droidbait+Rest_ , and I could've taken it angsty but I wanted some fluff.
> 
> Short, sweet, and simple - enjoy!

DB tried to rub the ever-present soreness out of his shins, almost-listening to Fives and ‘40 bicker one level below his pod. He _hated_ growth cycles, hated how he always felt stretched out and too big for his skin.

The hallway lights flashed one-two, warning them that lights-out was fives minutes away. DB stretched his legs out, bent double, and grabbed the soles of his feet to stretch out his calves, the last stretch of the routine one of the older cadets had shown them to reduce the growth-cycle aches, breathing as deeply as he could.

Fives’ voice rose to a harsh whisper below him – “You did _not_ get taller than me, vat-scrape! Take that back!” while Hevy and ’40 laughed under their breaths. “ _Echo_! You said we all grew at the same rate, back me up!”

Echo’s voice floated up from the lowest rack of bunks. “I _said_ we’d all be the same height at the end of the cycles, Fives.” Fives groaned like he’d had to run extra laps in full kit in the rain, flopping back onto his bunk.

“I can’t believe we were decanted together, you’re supposed to have my _back_ , Echo, not back up this lying ass,” he moaned, but DB could hear the smile in his voice. Just teasing – good. DB didn’t want to have to get in between Fives and ’40 right before lights-out.

He leaned up out of the stretch and tested his legs, bending them up to his chest and back. Much more limber, even with the drills they’d run that day. DB wondered if the cadet who’d shown them the stretches was still around to be thanked.

The lights blinked one-two-three – a minute to lights-out. DB sighed, straightening out and getting ready to retract his pod for the night. He heard Hevy climb up to the pod next to his and get settled, felt the slight judder as the pods below him retracted as Fives and ’40 prepared to sleep.

He pushed the button to make his own pod retract, lying back. As his pod closed around him, he saw the hallway lights flick out, darkness taking over.

A few seconds later, he heard a quiet one-two knock on his pod.

He pushed the button to open it wide enough to see what was happening outside – and Echo was there, on the ladder.

“Hey DB,” he said quietly. Hearing Echo use the abbreviation he’d taken to calling himself after he’d picked up the name _Droidbait_ made him smile. “Can we share tonight?”

DB nodded, letting the pod open all the way so Echo could clamber in, closing it once he was settled at DB’s side.

They barely fit now, their latest growth cycle making their shoulders almost too broad to fit together in the narrow space. But DB leaned into the warmth of another body in his space, preferring it to the cold of his lonely pod. “Alright, Echo?” he asked lowly.

“Cold tonight,” Echo breathed, “I think the longnecks are trying to train our cold tolerance again.”

DB nodded. He’d noticed the cold but had figured it was just the growth cycle using up his fat reserves, making him more susceptible to a chill. “I’ll wake us before lights so you can get back to your pod,” he said, setting an alarm. “Don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Echo hummed his thanks, body lax and warm at DB’s side. DB could feel Echo’s warmth relaxing his body, slowing his heartbeat. He let the rhythm of Echo’s heart and the quiet shush of his breath soothe him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and/or a kudos if you enjoyed! 
> 
> I'll see if I can get day 5 ( _Bacara+Glint_ ) up today but make absolutely no promises, seeing as I haven't written it yet.


End file.
